Second Coming
by Garro24
Summary: It is the start of the Great Crusade, the first Primarch, Horus, has been found. The infant Imperium has spread its wings and taken more worlds into the fold. The Emperor hopes to find his sons quickly so they can take their place as the heads of their mighty legions. The II legion has been tasked wit taking a forge world unbeknownst to them their gene father sits as its ruler.


Cai Lun – Primarch of the II legion

Su Song – Sergeant in 1st company

945.M30

Forge World Kalipso

"Get down!" came a voice over the vox channel. Thundering explosions shook the ground as strikes from the raptors tore into the buildings either side of the street. Brick, steal, and wood splintered covering the street in a deadly rain of shrapnel.

The shrapnel bounced harmlessly off Sergeant Su Song's ceramite plating. A cloud of dust settling on top of his squad impeding his ability to spot the enemy. The sharp retort of stubber fire told him that the raptors hadn't cleared out the buildings as he had hoped.

A dot appeared on his heads up display indicating that he had only a few hundred meters down the street to reach his target.

"Advance! Look to the dark places, I don't want getting shot in the back." Su ordered. It had been minutes since Captain Kuo had dictated an order over the vox channel. He was set to rendezvous with the rest of 1st company at the target and at this range he should be getting close range vox communications. Flipping through the channels solved noting, only getting static or other companies as reward.

A heavy stubber roared from a dark window of a blasted building. The rounds ricocheting off his pauldron. Dropping to one knee Su put several rounds into the window, silencing the weapon. His squad flowed suit positioning themselves in cover amongst the wreckage of vehicles that the bombardment had created. A marauder bomber, engines burning, took a low vector over and disappeared with a boom somewhere in the labyrinth of blocks.

The squad moved at an unbearably slow for Su taste, but the cation was more than necessary after seeing what the Craftminds of the Kalipsoians could bring to bear. Terrible machines out straight from the fantasy of old Terra. Each unique in its killing power and abilities. He had seen Battle Brothers burned alive from within their gene seed lost forever. Far too many warriors torn apart by their powerful armaments.

The fighting to get this far had been the most intense Su had seen. Causalities rates were impossibly high. His squad has escaped mostly unharmed, only a tick dust covering their dark green armor almost completely obscuring the tightly coiled dragon painted on their shoulders. His enhanced senses detected quite metallic whir rumbling towards the intersection that they were about to cross

"Brother Hon," Su addressed his second in command, Hon stiffened with the address. "Prime your melta bombs."

With a quick nod, Hon set about orders. Su held up his hand and signaled for the squat to take cover behind a blasted tank. The quite whir built into the clear sound of an engine as a massive a quadrupedal machine came into view. Its legs crawled forward, a matte black cubic frame sat atop the legs. An arm ended with a huge metal claw. The arm and claw were covered with the crimson of fresh blood. From its belly, a cannon protruded along with twin linked stubber turret. On its far side, a spiked ball sent bolts of electricity into the environment around it.

Su saw Hon peak over the other side of the tank, waiting for the signal from Su. For a brief moment Su thought about letting the monster machine pass, but its existence was a challenge to the Emperor's will and must be stopped. A two fingered wave sent Hon into action. Rolling out of cover Hon lobbed the bomb at the mechanical monstrosity.

Upon contact with the metallic hide of the monster the bomb burst in a flash, the heat of the blast blackening the ground. The machine's arm was gone, a half-melted on the ground. A hole with red hot melted edge exposed the innards of the machine. A crew of five sat in their position at various consoles and loading racks. Several were severely burned by the explosion. Su kneeled around the corner and shot into the wound of the beast. A man sitting at what looked to be the controls was thrown backwards as Su's bolter made a ragged mess of his chest. Following suit the rest of the squad laid fire into the machine, killing its crew in seconds.

The legs thrust forward clumsily as the top-heavy machine slammed into the ground before finally grinding to a halt after a few meters. The engine of the machine still whirring with choking smoke pouring from the exhaust.

"Mark this machine for study." Su ordered. The squad vox operator hailed the fleet above and relayed their location for the ruling council of the Coiled Dragons, The Lords of the Dragon.

Two hundred meters stood between Su and their rendezvous point. The squad moved quicker than what was advisable, they had already missed the designated meeting time and it was possible that the company had moved on without them. The pain of potential dishonor drove Su Song to move recklessly. The way seemed clear. No solider had dared fire upon them after the meeting with the metal beast.

The target of this whole assault loomed above them. A huge factory fortress that the Kalipsoians' called the Workshop. Intelligence had assure the Coiled Dragons that this place housed the Craftminds of the world. A council of inventors who were responsible for the resistance to the Emperor and the creation of these mechanical monsters that had inflicted such causalities.

They passed through the first gate. The steel mass of the door was blackened and torn open by melta charges. It appeared that first company had already moved forward. Su cursed under his breath and led his soldiers through the hole. The sound of bolter fire echoed off the ruined buildings between the first and second gate of the Workshop.

The Workshop at this time was on full battle mode. Streaks of anti-air fire keeping the swarm of bombers and fighters away from the factory. Cannon roared from the gun ports sending death towards the attackers in the outer limits of the city. Strange flying machines, each unique, came from an open maw of a massive hanger on the west side of the forge.

A shell landed to the right of the squad. The blast threw the squad asunder. Su's vision went to static as he was thrown off his feet. He landed hard on his back. Su threw his destroyed helmet off and got on his feet. His vision focused on the man and he counted his squad off. Each was alright save a few destroyed helmets and scoring along their armor.

The shouts and sounds of battle further along the road drew Su's eyes. Finally, he saws his fellow warriors of the First. A wreaked rhino perpendicular to the street acted as cover for a tactical squad. Turrets and bunkers vomited fire at the scattered squads of Coiled Dragons. A few of the 1st had fallen to this onslaught.

A gun turret turned its attention to the new arrivals. Su hit the deck as the hail of round pelted his armor. He heard a sharp hiss as a round found its mark in the joints of one of his men. Su built up his resolve and charged forward to the relative cover of the rhino. A bullet grazed his cheek sending a spatter of blood over his gorget before he finally reached cover.

"Sergeant Song!" Laughed Sergeant Long. " Finally decided to join us, eh?"

Su and Long grasped forearms in a short embrace. Su ignored the feigned insult. "What's the situation."

Long gestured to a marine with a large burnt hole in his chest slumped against the rhino. He was one of the command squad. "Not so well, old friend. Captain Kuo was killed attempting to plant a charge on the gate, the old fool."

The sound of the gate defenses made the words hard to hear even with his enhanced hearing. The few astartes who attempted to return fire were quickly pinned under a hail of bullets. A heavy weapons team crouched in a shell crater in the road. A rocket launcher poised to strike at one of the turrets. He stood and launched it. A beam of energy shot hit him in the chest and forced its way through the back plate. He fell forward and remained motionless. The rocket hit its mark. A turret exploded and soon the munitions behind it exploded.

Three quarters of the turrets went silent with the secondary explosion. Su observed the field and said, "We carry on then. We need those gates broken."

Long stiffly nodded in his helmet, "I could send a man to attempt to plant the charge again."

Before Su could respond the gate rumbled and slowly descended to its ground housing. Su strained his eyes to view the maw of the Forge,

It began with just a few. A small number of metallic balls at first growing to a flood of them belching from the gate. Even the continuous fire from a company of space marines could not stop the wave. Each shot blasting apart a ball.

When the wave reached the first line it became clear to Su the company would have to flee. The balls opened up into small machines that latched onto the space marines armor. Shaking or beating them off did no good as more would just latch on. Small drills would puncture the armor and tear at the astartes within the carapace. Blood gushed from the holes as the men succumbed to the unending barrage of drills ripping out their innards.

"Fall back!" Su shouted. Hon lobbed a grenade at the wave, only making a small dent in the total numbers, Those who were not already caught in the wave started to retreat, taking shots to keep the wave from catching up. The road ahead of them exploded with artillery fire as the defenses attempted to trap them between the two deadly forces.

Su cursed at being denied an honorable death of combat with a real foe. Seeming to share his thoughts the surviving squads of the first turned and unleashed fury into the oncoming wave of balls.

"Danger close!" An astartes from Long's shouted. The roar of engines spit Su's ears as a trio of raptor gunships filled the sky with missiles. The bolt cannons tore streaked through the metal wave destroying he majority of the balls. As they flew overhead the autocannons destroyed the small pockets of survivors. A anti-air shell stuck the left most raptor, blowing its wing off. The aircraft smashed into the pavement exploding with the impact.

Su counted only a hundred space marines were left after this final assault. Squads consolidated into full strength, field promotions were given out as the sergeants connived.

"Orders are to take the second gate." Long proclaimed. Looking towards the damaged defenses guarding the gate. "But I fear our numbers are too few to hold it. Where is the second and third?"

The second and third companies of the sixth chapter were to meet them at first gate and advance to take the second.

"Lord Commander Tzu says that the second and third haven't responded to hails nor have they taken their first objective." A sergeant said, relaying the information from a vox operator.

The battle was going wrong at every turn. The Kalipsoians' had been adept at battle far beyond what The Lords of the Dragon had expected. The world had been a death trap with stubborn soldiers and hellish machine monstrosities. Su's heart burned knowing the losses inflicted on the legion would take years to replace.

"I fear Sergeant Long is correct." Su said, "We cannot afford to lose more marines to the gate defenses. Can we get a missile strike on the gate?" 

"Fleet command is trying to break through the anti air bubble, but have been unsuccessful. Ordinance on the downed raptor could be helpful." Suggested another sergeant, his breastplate creaked from the impact of a bolt shell. The raptor did not hold much promise. The explosion on its impact had torn its body in two. Fire threatened to cause a second explosion as leaking fuel poured into a pool on the ground.

Looking at the gate and pondering, an idea had come to Su. Only something that could survive the fire from the gate long enough to reach it would be able to deliver a payload big enough to destroy it. The Rhino had not been able to do the job, clearly, but a drop pod just might. Su explained his plan to the other warriors.

"The nearest drop pod is a kilometer away, how in the Emperors name do we bring it here. Not to mention getting the booster on top to work when not being launched from a ship." Long protested.

"Fear not Brother for we are the Coiled Dragons and thinking outside the box is in our nature." Su assured. "First we need to return this rhino to working order."

Su knew his plan was risky at best. He had no idea if the booster had any fuel left, or if it would have enough power to drive the payload to the wall in the first place. They could risk losing their entire ordinance loadout for no gain. A group of astartes set to work on the rhino. Long and his squad pondered and shot ideas back and forth about a triggering device and fuse to set the explosives off in sequence. A few squads made a perimeter defense. Su had volunteered his men to clearing the way to the drop pod.

The drop pod location led them out the gate and further east following the outer wall of the Workshop's defenses. Su felt naked without his helmet just noticing the many places dark place a sniper could hide and put an hole through his head.

It did not take long the Su to reach the drop pod. The metal seed shaped drop pod, open like a flower. The street below it had been turned to gravel by the impact. It metal hide was painted the same green that hid under the that clung to Su's armor.

As soon as Su put a armored hand on the pod, a screeching missile barely missed the pod and exploded meters behind them. Suddenly a crackle of a megaphone and a voice boomed form nowhere.

"Surrender now and you will be spared." Said the voice in rough low gothic. "You are surrounded."

Su order his squad into a circle in the crater that the drop pod had made. Men and woman in armor cloth and helmets that covered their faces appeared from the windows and allies. A thousand stub weapons threatened to unleash hell.

Su decided he would be the first to unleash it first. He brought his bolter up and fired into a squad of soldiers. Each shell that hit its target tore left a ragged hole. His squad followed suit cutting a decent swath of soldiers before their fire could be retuned. Bullets threw up dust as each miss struck the pavement. Su felt the constant ping of bullets as they failed to penetrate his armor.

He felt pleasure when another squad were gunned down by him. These resistors would know the Emperors fury.

"Man down!" One of Su's squad shouted and broke Su from his furious killing. Sparing a quick glance Hon was slumped against the hull of the drop pod, A burning hole in his chest. Su whispered a silent oath before continuing his slaughter.

The resistors charged the crater. Losing his chain sword form his belt Su felt rage pour into him as cut down men into unrecognizable sights of gory horror. Another of Su's men went down as 4 men found homes for their bayonets in the astartes joints. As men many men as Su and his squad cut down, more joined the fight seemingly fearless against these angles of destruction.

A hail of fire from beyond ripped the charging men to bits. The rhino had arrived. Its turret laying down a hail of fire. A squad of Coiled Dragons disembarked and pushed the men even further back. Two astartes managed to chain the drop pod to the rhino as the fighting continued.

The brave men still pressed the attack. Few took cover behind wreaked vehicles and concrete barricades, others used this covering fire to advance.

Su smashed his fist into the skull of one of the assaulters, the crunch of bone satisfying to behold. His sword and arm were one in freeing limbs from torsos.

The rhino began to reverse, the tracks kicking gravel into air. The drop pod's flower of doors closed and the booster began to tip towards the rhino. Soon the pod tipped to its side and skidded on the ground following the path of the retreating rhino.

The space marines threw back the wave of men. Su ordered some to carry the bodies of the fallen as he covered their retreat. After seeing his wounded were carried to safety, Su pulled into a tactical retreat.

The booster was proving to be more trouble than Su had hoped. Sergeant Long had prepared a triggering mechanism and the payload had been prepared. Once again they would have to improvise.

"Overloading the booster should get us just enough power to make it to the gate." A sergeant said, making his calculations on the hide of the drop pod. Su checked the calculations as well satisfied that his brother had made no mistake. "Problem is getting the damn thing to overload."

Cables connected the rhino engines to the machine. The booster's finned opening glowed with a hearty warm orange. Crackles of electricity dissipated stored energy.

Suddenly the booster picked up the exhaust turning to an angry hot red. The warriors of the 1st cleared out of the way as the drop pod started to skitter forward. Sparked flooded the ground around as it picked up speed. Sensing the immediate danger the turrets and gun ports defending the wall shot at the pod. Lasers and bullets alike deflected from the surface of the lander.

The pod crashed into the gate with a loud thud and it the flash of a second a ball of fire consumed the gate. The defenses fell silent and the brightness of the explosion dimmed. Su saw exactly what he hoped to.

All that remained of the gate and its defenses were glowing red as molten metal dripped from the hole.

"Glory to the first! Glory to the Lords of the Dragon!" Su cheered the remaining men of the company retuned the cheer. "Take the gate and hold!"

The first company charged forward to their hard won victory. Reaching and holding the gate was last objective they had and they were going to complete it. The gate opened like a maw before them. Its width and breadth was enormous.

The first took up positions to hold any attempt at a sally forth by the defenders. The corridor they guarded was lined with metal riveted together. Cables ran along the ceiling. All light had been extinguished and the hall was black as the night sky where the light of the star did not reach.

Taking to moment for a breath Su took stock of what remained. Down to less than 100 strong the 1st company had taken heavy causalities in the fighting. Now, two of his own men are dead as well. All their ordinance had been used to take down the gate. Reinforcements that should have arrived hours ago had not been heard from. Su knew that the defenders had the power to push them from this position if they so desired.

"Orders in from Lord Commander Tzu, the knights of House Gerdin are incoming to advance into the Workshop." The vox officer reported. "We are to provide support."

Su felt a pang of irritation for these orders. Tzu was being reckless with his warriors lives. The Coiled Dragons excelled at unorthodox warfare, but the Lord Commander had thrown them into this slaughter with no room for tact or thinking outside the box.

The ground started to rumble. The footfalls of the approaching knights heralding the great power that was contained within their large forms. Banners hung from between their legs. A blue bore crossed with lances stood against a solid white background.

The lead paladin class knight bore a battle cannon on its right arm with a flamer on the other. The other knights were armed similarly. Their deep blue finishes were battered and blackened. The knights stopped in formation before reaching the Coiled Dragon's position.

A deep mechanical voice rang out from the lead war machine. "Brave astartes we are honored to have your support in the coming battle."

Not waiting for a response, the knights marched through the space marine lines with surprising gracefulness into the darkness of the corridor. The flood lights mounted on the knights illuminated the passage in a cold white light.

The Workshop was impossible large Su Thought to himself. Armies could march through these corridors with ease. The lack of resistance to their entering worried Su. For how hard the defenders had attempted to keep them out of the fortress factory, it was unsettling the speed they were making into the heart of the facility.

"Hold!" Came a sergeant taking point. The mass of marines dropped to a knee aiming down the corridor at the oncoming threat. The knights came to a halt as well. Their flood lights barley touching someone standing at its edge.

The form came out into the light. It was like a man, but impossibly large. Standing as tall as Horus himself, a man with almond shaped eyes stood in silver armor finished to a mirror like reflection. Mechadrites flooded from his head like hair. They twisted and weaved as a coiling mass of death. He held a pistol in his hand a pinkish red glow emanating from its power pack. In the other, a whip that seemed to move on its own. It attempted to lash out fruitlessly.

He held pistol up to the lead knight and shot once. The bolt was like plasma only the color of the glow from the pack. The energy shielding went up in response. In a flash the shield was shattered and the bolt slammed into the cockpit of the knight, Its armor melted away where it had been hit. Fire burst from hole as the pilot was burned alive.

Before the knights could react, he held up the hand with the whip and said in perfect gothic, "Machine kneel before me!"

Su expected to see this defender get blown away by battle cannons. His stomach twisted as the knights dropped a knee and bowed before this man. Su brought his bolter to bear and emptied a clip at the man. The survivors of 1st company followed his lead.

The giant's armor rippled like cloth as the bolts hit it. Explosions of the shells seemed to do no damage. The sheer weigh of shot should have blown him away. Sergeant Long roared, pulled his chain sword from its clip, and charged the man.

The whip started to glow. The giant brought his hand up slowly, letting the whip fall into perfect striking form. Like a trap, the arm sprung with insane speeds. A thin line of light stuck Long on the top of the head. Long's helmet did nothing to protect its wearer. The chord sliced his head in two, stopping Long's charge as his lifeless body tumbled forward.

Dark life blood pooled at the feet of the whip wielder. The constant fire from the astartes did nothing to stop the destruction this giant would bring upon them.

The whip lashed out again, cutting a man in half and decapitating another. The pistol belched pure death. Each target hit was burned from within their screams heard over the din of battle. The giant was impossibly nimble, each stroke of the whip moved with grace and deadly precision.

Su ducked just in time to avoid losing his head to the whip. He expended the last of his ammo before throwing his bolter on the ground. A squad was reduced to cinders by the strange pistol. Its retort was like the sound of water thrown on to a hot plate.

Another squad was shredded by the killing arch of the deadly whip. Su snatched a bolter from the hands of an astartes that was missing his lower half. The giant's head full of mecidendrites acted as a defense to the head. They would strike as a mass preventing projectile that threatened it's masters head.

In a flash, Su was knocked backwards. His chest plate was opened by the deadly whip, it dug deep into his torso. Hot blood poured from the wound and Su saw his vision going dark. He saw the last of the 1st company fighting fruitlessly against the man, more and more cut down every moment. Su watched helplessly as the last man of his squad was turned into a burning husk.

The air in the center of the corridor started to shimmer and a buzz of energy filled the room. The sound of thunder and a flash of lightning lit the room up bright as day.

A circle of golden armored figures, power spears ready, lead by a giant of a man in sea foam green armor guarded the central figure. Su only caught a glimpse of the man at the center. His vision blured and went black.


End file.
